What could have and should have been might not matter as head coach Pat Shurmur tries to get his players ready to face Mark Sanchez -- yes, that Mark Sanchez -- and the rest of the Washington Redskins on Sunday on the road in Landover, Md.

The Giants are 4-8, and with four games remaining, that's one more victory than last season when coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese were fired exactly one year ago Wednesday.

There was the potential for more, of course.

And even if the Giants manage to build on the momentum from winning three of their four games out of the bye week, outside of a miracle of epic proportions, these are the five moments and decisions that -- had they gone a different away -- would not be what ultimately keeps the franchise from contending in the NFC East and for a playoff spot.

1. Malcolm Jenkins' interception

The Giants got greedy, and it cost them dearly late in the first half of their 25-22 loss to the Eagles in Philadelphia two weeks ago. The defending Super Bowl champs were on the ropes, and the Giants were driving to send a message before halftime when Eli Manning was intercepted by Malcolm Jenkins at the goal line.

It was a crushing pick, and afterward both Manning and Shurmur took the blame for forcing a pass into double coverage against Odell Beckham Jr. instead of playing it smart, taking a potential field goal from Aldrick Rosas that would have put the Giants up 11 points.

Manning even had a wide open Saquon Barkley on an underneath route that, if they connect, Barkley could find his way to the end zone. If not, he'd be much closer for Rosas.

Shurmur insisted days later that the play did not change the direction of the game because the Giants were still ahead by 8 points, but inside the stadium, at the time, it certainly felt as though the underdog let the scuffling champion up off the canvas.

The Giants only scored three points in the second half and the Eagles have now put back-to-back wins together, the latest coming Monday night against the Redskins to set up next week's divisional showdown against the Cowboys.

2. Erring things out

The Giants changed their philosophy on the bye week, turning to the ground game and Barkley far more. Shurmur won't say it's a change in identity, but it was clear the Giants were tired of having Manning chuck the ball all over the field without getting desired results.

They should have reinvented themselves much sooner, allowing the offensive line to settle in and Barkley to find a rhythm. Teams did not fear the Giants' run game, and now, after what Barkley did against one of the best defensive fronts last Sunday vs. the Bears, they just might.

Sure, the addition of right guard Jamon Brown on the bye week helped.

But taking the pressure off Manning and Beckham with an offensive personality change, for example, may have given the Giants a chance to show less can be more. The offense feels like it has something going right now -- save for the second half against the Eagles -- and what's regrettable is that it took the Giants so long to get there.

3. Safety dance missteps

Andrew Adams was relegated to third- and fourth-team duty for much of the summer. Darian Thompson had a shot, but once he tweaked his hamstring, his chances were essentially gone, too. Curtis Riley ended up taking the job out of the preseason and he has been matched up in the safety pairing with Landon Collins ever since.

The Giants have not gotten what they hoped out of Riley, whose struggles against the run proved costly, including Adrian Peterson's long TD run that was decisive in the first meeting with Washington. Riley was not an upgrade to Adams nor Thompson, and Collins had developed good rapport with both of these players. Instead, the Giants needed to take the time to find any continuity at the position yet again.

Just think of the players Collins has been paired with at safety, going back to Brandon Meriweather and Craig Dahl his rookie season. Thompson is now in a reserve role with the Cowboys, and Adams had been serving in the same capacity with the Buccaneers before Sunday's breakout performance that included three interceptions.

It's a regret because the Giants have given up big plays at the position due to Riley's shortcomings, and who knows -- a play here or a play there, and maybe they get one of those wins instead of turning it into a loss on the back end.

4. Faith in Ereck Flowers, Patrick Omameh

The Giants wanted to give everyone a clean slate, which is why Flowers got two games as a starter. But he was miserable against the Jaguars and Cowboys. With better play at right tackle, which they have seen lately from Chad Wheeler, perhaps the offense would have functioned better.

As for Omameh, the free-agent signee never panned out. He struggled early and never recovered, first earning a spot on the bench and then he was released.

5. Graham Gano's 63-yard field goal

This is the one play the Giants will go back to and consider a big "what if."

Just as the Eagles' Jake Elliott buried them in Week 5 of the 2017 season with a 61-yarder at the gun, Gano's field goal from two yards further out was a dagger.

The Giants had outplayed the Panthers, rallying to take the lead on a touchdown pass from Eli Manning to Saquon Barkley. They had a 31-30 edge and put the Panthers on their heels, only to lose to another miracle kick.

Gano has struggled since, missing two field goals and three extra points.

Had his attempt fell short or gone wide, the Giants would have gained enormous momentum heading into that first Thursday night meeting against the Eagles.